A chronicle of Issues, Studies, News and other items of interest regarding Mormonism (2006-2013)

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Three New 1830 First Edition Book of Mormons Available

Three New 1830 First Edition Book of Mormons Available 176 Years LaterWednesday March 29, 7:45 am ET

PALMYRA, N.Y., March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Experience Press, LLC (aprivate company not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints, "the Mormon Church," or the Community of Christ,the former "RLDS Church") has published three true reprints of the1830 first edition of the Book of Mormon. Palmyrene merchantsorganized an event called the first annual Palmyra Expo 2006 where thebooks went on sale today on the 176-year anniversary of when E.B.Grandin first announced the Book of Mormon was for sale in hisbookstore on Main Street in Palmyra, NY in March of 1830.

ADVERTISEMENTExperience Press, LLC created three new editions of this historicallysignificant book and has plans for a fourth. The most expensive of thethree new books is priced at $350 and limited to 200 copies, althoughthere are less than 100 copies still available. It is hand-bound withfine, genuine sheepskin leather using period-style bookbindingtechniques and materials. Non-LDS book collectors were first in lineto purchase them at the Palmyra Expo. A very nice leather-bound copyis available for $150. Twenty dollars buys you a paperback copy wherethe cover is a reproduction of a very attractive original 1830 firstedition Book of Mormon. The new books are available from the company'swebsite, http://www.experiencepress.org, and at an ever-increasingnumber of booksellers across the country.

The text of these new editions of the Book of Mormon match theoriginal 1830 first edition page-for-page with one exception. All the"stop-the-press" typos in the original text have been corrected. Theoriginal 1830 grammar and spellings have been kept. In today's market,an 1830 first edition Book of Mormon in good condition will likelyfetch about $100,000. According to Woodruff Challis, CEO of ExperiencePress, LLC, "The page layout and text of the first edition of the Bookof Mormon make it enjoyable to read. People shouldn't have to be richto experience it. That's why we made three versions at this time."

To top this feat, Experience Press, LLC plans to create yet anotheredition of the Book of Mormon that will be made entirely by hand usingmoveable type printed on handmade paper with a hand-drawn letterpress.

Experience Press, LLC is an organization of highly skilled craftsmendedicated to the authentic reproduction of historic books usingperiod-style equipment and materials. They provide workshops,lectures, firesides and training in letter-press printing and the bookarts. They also publish historical fiction and poetry and arecurrently accepting submissions from published as well as unpublishedauthors.

Experience Press, LLC has locations in Arizona and Utah. You can findtheir contact information on their web site athttp://www.experiencepress.org or call them at (480) 797-4570 or (801)654-3932.